Chrome Valley: Poems

by Mahogany L. Browne

A highly anticipated volume from critically acclaimed poet Mahogany L. Browne, Chrome Valley is at once a luminous hymn and a battle cry. Spanning the course of her own life as well as embodying centuries of virulent history, this collection pays solemn tribute to the women who came before her. Musically effervescent yet cutting poems capture the peculiar joys and pangs of Black “you ain’t had freedom / ’til you climb on a bus 62 / head to the closet mall / for a girl fight”; while others explore the inherent grief of motherhood, rhythmically intoning names like the tolling of a church “Because Lesley McSpadden / Because Mamie Till / Because a Black mother know ain’t no song for that empty in ya belly.” Transcendent and grounded, funny and furious, the poems within bring depth to a movement, announcing Mahogany L. Browne as one of the most important poetic voices of our time.

Genres: Poetry, Race, Nonfiction, African American, Womens, Audiobook

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2023

Reviews

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love Browne’s plentiful volume of poems (over 140 pages of verses), but I grew listless from its verbosity and repetition. Many of the poems offer anecdotes, but many of them also veer off on tangents or extend to a point where they became too winded to keep my attention. Although I admired Browne’s strong voice throughout the collection, her poems kept feeling as though she was loading up pages with more and more words, odd space and spacing breaks, and needless stylistic tricks that didn’t bring further impact or cohesion to her message of celebrating her family and heritage. I also think I’d connect better to Browne’s work as performative/slam poetry. I had hoped to engage with her poems the way I connect with the work of Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Maya Angelou, but ultimately Chrome Valley just didn’t resonate with me.

[BookishVegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley. You are a goddess Mahogany. Thank you.

Chills! I divided this into two days and savored every poem many times. Audio was spectacular. Lyricist, poet, strong woman.
So moving, so raw, so rich with truth- her truth, the black American truth.

I will be buying the Audio version of this and maybe the print too.

I felt heavy heart and lump in my throat through much of this because of its truth.

It’s also her story of family, friends relationships and generational trauma.

I hope everyone reads this and particularly listens to this.

[Natasha Niezgoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt so personal.

Some lines that really stirred me:

“Bruises her into a rainbow woman...”

“What is a bullet. What is a bullet. A new and improved lynching.”

“And the moon cannot remember when there was a warm palm to wipe away her tired. The way she wipes away the sun’s bruised setting overnight. The way the moon gives her shoulders to the light at last. The moon crooned ‘I’ve been running from the freedom of my own blood’. I know lonely. I know. I know. I know. Because… because… because… because… because…”

“You will be hurt. You will be hurt. A ripple until your thirtieth birthday. Until all you know is thirst. Until everyman is just a hijack handshake waiting to happen beneath your skirt.”

“I’m reminded that my heart ain’t got no locks, because it ain’t got no doors.”

[Sam Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

OKAY! I was lucky enough to get an advanced audiobook and electronic access to this book before it's set to hit shelves on February 7th, and yall need to know that I am so thankful and overwhelmed with happiness. Thank you so much to WW Norton, NetGalley, and Mahogany L. Browne for letting me read this wonderfully empowering and heartbreaking collection of poems.

They say actions speak louder than words, but I'd have to disagree with that statement based on the power that Mahogany L. Browne conveys in her writing. Chrome Valley is a work brought to you by the systemic hate that has plagued this world, especially the states, for hundreds of years. Browne talks of the struggles she and her family have had to overcome, informing those who come after on how to fall into the basin of another statistic, how to stay alive when all the odds are against them and how to stand up for what they believe in, themselves especially.

Mahogany L. Browne is the mother of poetry -- specifically prose that inflicts remembrance, and a semblance of understanding of the hurt thousands of generations have endured over decades of discrimination and sorrow. I am moved and feel more love for her wisdom now than ever.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received an audio ARC of this book, courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All ideas expressed are my own.***

Wow. I hadn't read anything by Mahogany L. Browne before this collection, and I'm glad I found this. Each piece manages to be powerful and fragile at once. And her use of line repetition with an evolution of small phrases, until the momentum of an idea builds and builds...amazing. I'll definitely be reading more from Browne. Also, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which the author reads herself!

[Nelli Lakatos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this poetry collection, I loved how the author narrated the audiobook it was beautiful! These poems were beautiful, heartbreaking and moving. Highly recommend reading this poetry book, especially listening the audiobook!

[johnny ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

chills!

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and W. W. Norton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. These poems pack a punch of the author's experiences as a black women -- learning about life from family, those who come before us, racism and heartache, and resilience it takes to be a survivor. There are many interesting and wonderful poems; my favorite was Working Title.

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

In this newest collection, Browne provides exactly what those familiar with her work will expect and look forward to: fantastic poems that feature intersectional identities and experiences that are sure to stay with readers for the long haul.

Along with vulnerable moments and character/speaker insights, a standout feature of my reading experience is the sense of place that Browne develops around the Bay Area. Oakland is a unique space (and one I love), and it's exciting to see into both widespread local vibes and individual versions of this. Come for the relationships and experiences but know that this is a truly noteworthy added bonus.

I love teaching Browne's work and cannot wait to add this collection to my future courses. Obviously recommended!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Liveright for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Patricia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Day 6 of #TheSealeyChallenge 2023. Chrome Valley by Mahogany L. Browne published by Liveright.
@SealeyChallenge @mobrowne @LiverightPub

Gorgeous collection giving 21st century Gwendolyn Brooks vibes. A primer on the Black experience in the new millennium.

Some of my favorite moments:

a cul de sac ain’t nothing but a row generational trauma ​an heirloom mausoleum belts wrapped around knuckles

When we ain’t together, I am reminded that I’m broken, That my heart ain’t got no locks ’cause it ain’t got no doors

A) father gifts you his hands 2) your mother laughs w/the breath of a ghost C) no one remembers how much you cried 5) there are more houses in your throat than one can count

the blk(est) night is a Blk girl

If the mouth is a house Then most days I am homeless

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is poetry that flies off the page and punches you, holds you against the wall while it tells you of tragedy, slams you down on the sofa and rails at systemic racism, leaves you sopping with sweat and tired but also angry and wanting to do something to change the world. Will you?

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

Chrome Valley is incredible and unflinching. If you have the option, I'd highly recommend the audiobook.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a physical ARC of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
I also would like to thank Orange Sky Studios and Netgalley for a free audiobook ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

This poetry collection often reads like a memoir in verse, but without the cohesion of such an endeavor. I was often acutely aware that the poem was about memories and/or events in the poet's life. This constantly kept me at bay (held as a voyeur to that memory) but more often it would alienate me (since I kept wondering what elements could only be accessed by those in the memory and no one else) The recurring cast of characters in the poems didn't help make the experience more cohesive for me, it only made it a bit repetitive. There were a few poems that I did really enjoy, but they were few and far between, of these "Working Title" was the best, which had a raw message that was punchy, in your face, and not so personal as to be alienating. I might be in the minority with this, btw. If you enjoy memoir-style poetry this might be your jam, it just wasn't mine.

The poet reads her own poems in the audiobook and I would recommend that as your method of consuming these poems as she has great rhythm and tone.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a palindrome to prose poems, this electric and much-anticipated collection by Browne, a prolific writer, examines Black girlhood and womanhood, desire, friendship, and migration. My mind keeps circling “Stumble Lovely,” a title so beautiful I envision it tattooed obvious and tender places to be carried close always. I marveled over so much: the internal rhyme and alliteration in “Slink Feel Good” (“of swoon & shadow frame / & sickle moon…”) and the repeated tercet (“the body / is most forgiving / here”) in “The Rink.” I also sampled the audiobook while reading along, which I highly recommend.

from “Reflecting on Winter’s Poetry” via BOOK RIOT: https://bookriot.com/winter-poetry-20...

[AMAO]

Chrome Valley: Poems by Mahogany L. Browne
Published February 7th 2023
#ChromeValley #NetGalley

There was a lot of pain throughout these lines. #DomesticViolence #PoliceBrutality #HomeGrownTerrorism. Poetry is not my goto genre but I really related to her artizstic expression. I definitely recommend it for a slow and thoughful processing reflecting read.

Boldly lyrical and fiercely honest, Mahogany L. Browne's Chrome Valley offers an intricate portrait of Black womanhood in America. "We praise their names / & the hands that write / Praise the mouth that speaks," she writes in tribute to those who came before her.

Browne captures a quintessential girlhood through the pleasures and pangs of young love: the thrill of skating hip to hip at the roller rink, the heat of holding hands in the dark, and, sometimes, the sting of a palm across the cheek. Friendship, too, comes with its own complex yearnings: "you ain't had freedom / 'til you climb on bus 62 / & head to the closest mall / for a good seat at the girl fight."

Reflections of Browne's mother, Redbone, bolster the collection with moments of unwavering strength: "give me my mother's bone structure / & her gap tooth slaughter / give me her spine—Redbone got a spine for the world." Other moments explore the inherent anxieties shared among Black mothers, rhythmically intoning names like the tolling of a church bell: "Because Kadiatou Diallo / Because Sybrina Fulton / Because Valeria Bell / Because Mamie Till."

The characters in Chrome Valley grapple with the legacies of inherited trauma but also revel in the beauty of the undaunted self-determination passed down from Black woman to Black woman. Transcendent and grounded, funny and furious, Chrome Valley brings depth to a movement, solidifying Mahogany L. Browne as one of the most significant poetic voices of our time.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an incredible collection that archives the poet's family history. I found a great event with her at the Schmoburg Center in which she talked about how this is her "survival song," and it was a decade in the making.

The Redbone poems, which are some of my favorite, are about her mom and based on actual conversations with her; the book is a type of familial history of the women in Browne's family, a way to say, We're here and we survived, while also being a way to slow down and consider how to move beyond survival.

One of my favorite poems is "Jaundice," a pantoum. In the talk I watched, Browne said that some of the forms she explored allowed her to focus on "sticking the landing" (the technique) rather than get lost in some of the pain of the memories. I loved that characterization of how form can work.

The collection is strong on its own, but seeing Mahogany perform some (accompanied by a bass) and then to hear her talk about the poems and herself... Wow. She is the embodiment of a performer, I felt like I could listen to her all day. I highly recommend finding it on YouTube to complement the book.

[Amber | backinthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Liveright, and Mahogany L. Browne for the opportunity to read and review “Chrome Valley.”

This poetry collection is a time capsule of the author’s experience as a Black woman in America. From stories of being a young girl with the complexities of family, relationships, and growing up, to the pressures of womanhood and the shared fears and traumas of being a Black mother. The author introduces elements of color and details of the body to illustrate this poetic memoir, as well as recounting raw experiences and calling people by name as an homage.

This collection is nothing short of powerful. It’s painful and beautiful, and I could physically feel my heart aching through so many of the works. “Working Title” was a personal favorite of mine. Hearing the author speak their own words through the audiobook brought a new level of emotion to this collection. I’m excited to pick up a copy to reread and study it. I would highly recommend this to others and will be exploring more of Browne’s works.

[the great gretsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wasn’t sure whether i would enjoy an audiobook version of a poetry collection because i like being able to go over poems again and again as i read them, but this definitely proved me wrong! the poems felt so powerful being read out, full of life and emotion. these are incredibly moving, often heartbreaking pieces of writing that felt even more real because i was able to listen to them. i loved their simple structure and the directness of the language - it’s very easily accessible poetry that gets to the point without losing its poetic nature. i also think that the poetic form works incredibly well for trauma narratives and representation of otherness because of its potential to break with traditional forms of writing and use fragmented language that is able to articulate experiences that are difficult to voice otherwise.

[Codi · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHURCH HEAT

Grandma Coco's church is uppity
Everyone sings like a bad opera
More white people than black folks

Not enough Black folk here
A neatly braided brown girl enters

The double doors close out the zephyr
The women in their choir robes, swaying with eyes closed

This is the reason Grandma Coco rise early on Sundays
The reason she bellow her tenor bell
The second place she prayed for Redbone
Only second
To the head of her wood dining room table

Grandma Coco love her church
Love her church friends & them boring sermons
Love to bring her grandbabies, a candle returned to their dull
eyes

Love to see they dresses clean
& coarse curls pinned up on each side

She ain't notice how they slouch in they seats
How they dog-ear the new bibles
with cable knit tights corkscrewed at the ankles
Swallowing hemlines whole (p. 44)

[Andy Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Browne's rhetoric is sweet and smooth, also raw and raunchy. As she says, "her tongue be a grenade pin unclipped." Her subject matter is both personal and disturbing: her long-suffering mother (a "gutter of a woman" who says "my heart ain't got no locks 'cause it ain't got no doors"), the rivalries of relatives in complex family relationships ("he love like a wound"), teenage (and mature) yearnings, and violence within the family and community (too much focus on violence for my taste—although the body can also be "forgiving").

She sometimes throws in politics or racism (such as in "Working Title" and "Kerosene Litany"), but although often implicit it rarely gets prominent, and her words keep dancing anyway.

As a senior white male, I wish I could get more of her cultural references, but the poems are magnificent even for me.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd love to hear pieces of this collection (or the whole of it!) out loud--there are some great things going on with rhythm and syncopation that must sound so fantastic in the author's voice. I think it would work better in audio than on the page--I am hungry to hear these pieces. It might be a good one to purchase for speech students.

I have a version on my faux-Kindle, so it's hard to see what would have happened with line breaks, etc., but what I see are long lines that are declarative and use of space.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chrome Valley is a collection of vivid intense poetry that helps the reader see the poet's perspective. It's the view of a black woman faced with discrimination, and concerned about the safety of her loved ones. Here's one untitled example:
The gun is a school of fish
The gun is a house under water
The gun beats all the boys in tag
The gun answers the door before
anyone ever knocks.
Many of her poems have a religious atmosphere, and she writes as one whose faith has often supported her. This is a thoughtful and well-written collection of poetry.

[Mish Mash Succotash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful, emotional, riveting experience. I am obsessed with Mahogany's voice and vision. It's incredible that she narrated her own audiobook, and the result is an absolute masterpiece. This is an unflinching look at being a black woman in the US, and I highly recommend the audiobook version. I will 100% be checking out this poet's other work.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this ARC.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the audiobook version of this book. Everything I write is of my own personal thoughts feelings and opinions. I am in no way affiliated or compensated for my review.

This book speaks volumes. I love that the author reads the book so you can hear how she wants the poetry to come through to the reader/listener.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not the audience for this. It was unbelievably sad even with half the references going over my head. I think the poems are very powerful and I found myself having to take more breaks than usual for a volume of poetry. It takes a lot to recommend really really sad books but they are informative and eye-opening.

[Adrian Shanker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for Chrome Valley by Mahogany Browne - it’s a heartwrenchingly beautiful collection of lyrical poems that explore the experience of Black women in America.

“Because Kadiatou Diallo / Because Sybrina Fulton / Because Valerie Bell / Because Mamie Till / Because your Black mother’s heart be home to a sleepless ocean & even the moon shut its mouth tight / to listen.”

[Jas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a fan of Mahogany L. Browne! This collection of poems touched on a few things, many of which were heavy, and yet her verse is so incredibly melodic. Everything just flows in a way that I cannot comprehend how she does it. It's soft and musical but sharp in places for maximum impact and I find myself taking pause at a certain line or section. One of my favorite authors for sure!

[One More Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

When someone asks what poetry is, the answer is this book. Those new to poetry will love Browne's lyricism, unique style, and depth by the sound of her lines, and poets and writers will appreciate studying her abilities. Some of the best poetry I've read in a long time that's both technically masterful and aesthetically pleasurable.